Canadian ice hockey player (born 1977)
Ice hockey player
Daniel Jean-Claude Briere
(born October 6, 1977) is a
Canadian
former professional
ice hockey
player and current executive. He is the general manager of the
Philadelphia Flyers
. He was drafted in the first round of the
1996 NHL Entry Draft
by the
Phoenix Coyotes
, and also played for the
Buffalo Sabres
, Philadelphia Flyers,
Montreal Canadiens
and
Colorado Avalanche
of the
National Hockey League
(NHL).
He is best known as one of the top
Stanley Cup Playoffs
performers in NHL history, with 116 points in 124 career playoff games.
Internationally, Briere won four gold medals in as many appearances with Canada national teams at the 1994
World U18 Championships
,
1997 World Junior Championships
, and the
2003
and
2004 World Championships
.
Playing career
[
edit
]
Junior
[
edit
]
Growing up and playing hockey in his hometown
Gatineau
, Briere played Bantam hockey in 1992?93 for the Abitibi Regents before graduating to the AAA Gatineau Intrepide of the Quebec Midget League for the 1993?94 season. In his first season with the Intrepide, the team captured the bronze medal at the
1994 Air Canada Cup
, where Briere was the top scorer and named Top Forward. Soon after, he was drafted by the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the 1994 QMJHL Draft. Briere's number 14 was retired by this team, on January 21, 2007, during a ceremony in the Marcel Dionne Center of Drummondville.
In his rookie season, he recorded 123 points, third overall in the league, was awarded the
Michel Bergeron Trophy
as league rookie of the year, and the
Marcel Robert Trophy
as scholastic player of the year. The following season, he improved to 163 points, earning the
Jean Beliveau Trophy
as the league's leading scorer. He was also named the
QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year
and awarded the
Ford Cup
as offensive player of the year. Despite a remarkable six-game, 18-point postseason effort from Briere, Drummondville was not able to advance from the divisional round-robin.
After Briere was drafted by the
Phoenix Coyotes
in the first round, 24th overall, in the
1996 NHL Entry Draft
, he returned to Drummondville for one more season. He recorded 130 points, finishing in the top three in league scoring for the third consecutive season, and was awarded the
Frank J. Selke Memorial Trophy
as the most sportsmanlike player.
Phoenix Coyotes and AHL
[
edit
]
Graduating from major junior, Briere split his first four seasons in the NHL between the Coyotes and their
American Hockey League
(AHL) affiliate, the
Springfield Falcons
. In his first professional season in
1998
, he recorded 92 points in 68 games and was awarded the
Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award
as top rookie, as well as being named the AHL's First Team All-Star center. He is the third leading scorer in Falcons' franchise history.
Briere's training regimen became newsworthy in 2001 when it became known that, in order to overcome his diminutive size (at 5 ft. 9 in., he is comparatively small by NHL standards), he had begun off-season strength training with Canadian
World's Strongest Man
competitor
Hugo Girard
, who shares Gatineau as a hometown.
[1]
He earned a consistent NHL roster spot in the second half of the
2000?01 season
and spent his first full season with the Coyotes in
2001?02
, recording 60 points.
Buffalo Sabres
[
edit
]
At the
2002?03
trade deadline
, the Coyotes traded Briere to the
Buffalo Sabres
alongside a third round pick in the
2004 NHL Entry Draft
in exchange for
Chris Gratton
and a fourth round pick in 2004. After playing with
SC Bern
of the
Swiss
Nationaliiga A
during the
2004?05 NHL lockout
, he returned to Buffalo and emerged as a bona fide NHL star, beginning with a 58-point season in just 48 games during the
2005?06 campaign
. Briere was kept out of the lineup for 32 games due to an
abdominal
injury suffered in January that required surgery and a two-game suspension following an inadvertent high-stick to
Boston Bruins
defenceman
Brian Leetch
.
[2]
[3]
Completing the season with the Sabres healthy, Briere helped lead the club to their first postseason berth in four years. During this time he earned the nickname "Cookie Monster" from Sabres play by play announcer
Rick Jeanneret
for his notoriety for shooting top shelf, "where momma hides the cookies."
[4]
Playing on a rejuvenated team that included stars
Chris Drury
,
Thomas Vanek
and
Brian Campbell
, the Sabres advanced to the conference-finals, paced by Briere's team-high 19 points. In the off-season, Briere filed for salary
arbitration
, which resulted in a one-year, $5 million contract that the Sabres agreed to on August 5, 2006.
[5]
The following season, Briere scored two
hat tricks
. His first came on December 5, 2006, against the
Tampa Bay Lightning
's goaltender
Marc Denis
.
[6]
His second came shortly after, on January 30, 2007, in front of a home crowd at
HSBC Arena
in a 7?1 victory against the Boston Bruins, with two goals against
Hannu Toivonen
and one against his replacement
Tim Thomas
.
[7]
He was voted in as a starter to his first
NHL All-Star Game
in
Dallas, Texas
,
[8]
and recorded a game-high five points (one goal, four assists). He was named All-Star Game MVP and received a
Dodge Nitro
that he ended up giving to his sister.
[9]
Briere finished the season with a career-high 32 goals, 63 assists and 95 points. He added 15 points in the postseason as the Sabres made their second straight appearance in the conference finals, but were eliminated by the
Ottawa Senators
.
Philadelphia Flyers
[
edit
]
As Briere's one-year contract expired at the end of
2006?07
, he became an
unrestricted free agent
on July 1, 2007. It was widely speculated that Briere would return to his home province and play for the
Montreal Canadiens
,
[10]
but he instead signed with the
Philadelphia Flyers
, who finished the previous season as the worst team in the NHL, to an eight-year, $52 million contract with a no-trade clause.
[10]
The Flyers front-loaded the deal, paying Briere $10 million in the first season of the contract, making him the highest paid player of the league in
2007?08
, along with
Scott Gomez
of the
New York Rangers
and former Sabres teammate
Thomas Vanek
. His decision to join the Flyers is often attributed to the influence of his friend
Martin Biron
, who was traded from Buffalo to Philadelphia at the previous season's trade deadline. He later cited the prospect of anonymity in Philadelphia as opposed to Montreal as an additional factor in his decision.
[10]
Briere's production dipped in his first season with the Flyers in
2007?08
, but he still finished second in team scoring with 72 points in 79 games, behind eventual team captain
Mike Richards
. He scored his third career
hat trick
near the beginning of the season on November 21, 2007, against the
Carolina Hurricanes
's goaltender
Cam Ward
.
[11]
Led by Briere and Richards on the newly revamped Flyers (additional off-season acquisitions included
Kimmo Timonen
,
Scott Hartnell
and
Joffrey Lupul
), Philadelphia went from worst team in the NHL the previous season to an appearance in the
2008
conference-finals against eventual
Eastern Conference
champions, the
Pittsburgh Penguins
. Briere recorded nine goals and seven assists in his third straight semi-finals appearance.
Less than a month into the
2008?09 season
, on October 22, Briere suffered another abdominal tear requiring surgery. He was expected to be sidelined at least a month,
[12]
but returned within half that time on November 8 against the
Tampa Bay Lightning
.
[13]
In the next game, however, against the
New York Islanders
on November 11, he suffered a groin pull,
[14]
sidelining him for nine games. In his first game back, Briere suffered yet another setback; he re-injured his groin on December 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
[15]
Preparing to make a return to the Flyers lineup, he was assigned to the
Philadelphia Phantoms
of the AHL on January 13, 2009, to play three games on a conditioning basis.
[16]
Briere finished the season having played in just 29 games for the Flyers, recording 11 goals and 14 assists. The Flyers were eliminated for the second consecutive year in the playoffs by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the eventual
Stanley Cup
champions. Briere scored one goal along with three assists in the series.
The following season, Briere was suspended by the NHL for two games for leaving his feet to check
Colorado Avalanche
defenceman
Scott Hannan
, making contact with Hannan's neck with his elbow during a game on November 23, 2009.
[17]
He also suffered a tweaked groin during that season and missed five games because of it.
[18]
However, a highlight came to Briere on February 13, 2010, in a game in Montreal where he scored a hat trick with all goals in different situations: power-play, even strength and penalty shot against
Carey Price
.
[19]
Briere led the entire
2010 Stanley Cup playoffs
in scoring with 30 points (12 goals and 18 assists) and in the process broke the record for points in a postseason by a Flyer, held previously by
Brian Propp
, who had 28 in 1987.
[20]
Five games into the playoffs, he was placed with wingers Scott Hartnell and
Ville Leino
, where the line went on to be one of the most effective of the postseason. In the
2010 Stanley Cup Finals
series alone, Briere finished with 12 points (three goals and nine assists), one point shy of
Wayne Gretzky
's record of 13 in a final, and the highest output in a final since
Mario Lemieux
in
1992
.
During the last minute of an October 30, 2010, game against the
New York Islanders
, Briere was given a five-minute cross-checking major and a game misconduct for a stick-swinging incident with
Frans Nielsen
.
[21]
On November 1, the NHL suspended Briere for three games.
[21]
Briere disagreed with the ruling, saying, "If you look at the replay, it's clearly not a crosscheck which is two hands moving forward. It's a push with one hand. The mistake I made is my stick was up there. Is it worth three games for that? I don't think so. And on top of that, I missed him. I didn't even get him... My glove grazed the top of his helmet, not my stick."
[22]
On January 19, 2011, Briere was named as the replacement to play in the All-Star Game for
Calgary Flames
player
Jarome Iginla
, who cited health concerns about his grandmother as the reason for dropping out of what would have been his sixth All-Star appearance. Briere scored two goals for Team Lidstrom in the game, helping them to an 11?10 victory over Team Staal. Briere finished the
2010?11 NHL season
with 34 goals and 34 assists. He went on to record seven goals during the
2011 Stanley Cup playoffs
, a postseason that saw the Flyers defeat Briere's former team, the Buffalo Sabres, in seven games but fall to the eventual Stanley Cup champion
Boston Bruins
in a four-game sweep.
On January 7, 2012, Briere scored his fifth
hat trick
as well as his third NHL fight (against
Kyle Turris
) on home ice. His third goal, against
Craig Anderson
, was the game winner in overtime as the Flyers beat the
Ottawa Senators
by a 3?2 score, Briere having scored all of the Flyers' goals.
[23]
During the
2012 Stanley Cup playoffs
, Briere continued his dominant playoff play, scoring eight goals in 11 games as the Flyers eventually fell to the
New Jersey Devils
, the eventual Eastern Conference Champions, in five games in the second round.
During the
2012?13 NHL lockout
, Briere and Flyers teammate
Claude Giroux
played for
Eisbaren Berlin
of the German
Deutsche Eishockey Liga
(DEL).
[24]
Briere played in a total of 21 games before being injured by an uncalled slash of his wrist which resulted in hyperextension and a bone bruise.
[25]
On June 18, 2013, Briere was informed by Flyers management that he would be given a
compliance buyout
, ending his tenure with the Flyers.
[26]
Montreal Canadiens
[
edit
]
On July 4, 2013, Briere signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the
Montreal Canadiens
.
[27]
Briere became the first player in NHL history to have an
accent grave
on his jersey.
[28]
On October 19, 2013, Briere sustained another concussion against the
Nashville Predators
after a collision with
Eric Nystrom
, which sidelined him for almost a month before returning to the lineup on November 12, 2013.
[29]
Briere returned to the
Wells Fargo Center
in
Philadelphia
on December 12, 2013, and was greeted with a standing ovation by the home crowd.
[30]
Colorado Avalanche
[
edit
]
On June 30, 2014, Briere was traded to the
Colorado Avalanche
in exchange for
P. A. Parenteau
and a fifth-round draft pick in
2015
.
[31]
Following the conclusion of the
2014?15 season
, Briere was not re-signed by the club, and on August 17, 2015, he announced his official retirement from professional hockey.
[32]
Management career
[
edit
]
After his retirement, Briere remained involved in the Flyers organization. In June 2017, it was announced that he had been appointed to run the day-to-day operations of the upcoming
Maine Mariners
that had been purchased by the Flyers' owners
Comcast Spectacor
and moved to
Portland, Maine
, to begin play in 2018?19.
[33]
Partway through the
2021?22 season
, Briere was named the special assistant to the general manager for the Flyers.
[34]
On March 10, 2023, the Flyers named Briere interim general manager,
[35]
later promoting him to permanent general manager on May 11.
[36]
International play
[
edit
]
Briere appeared in the 1994
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
, a highly competitive under-18 event not directly sanctioned by the
International Ice Hockey Federation
(IIHF). He scored five points and earned his first gold medal as Canada defeated the United States 5?2 in the final.
[37]
Three years later, during his final year of
major junior
in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
(QMJHL), he competed for
Canada junior team
at the
1997 World Junior Championships
in Switzerland. Briere scored six points in seven games and captured his second gold medal, defeating the United States once more 2?0.
Briere debuted with
Canada senior team
at the
2003 World Championships
and scored nine points in nine games. He earned another gold medal, defeating
Sweden
in the final. The next year, at the
2004 World Championships
, Briere earned his fourth gold medal in as many international appearances, again topping Sweden 5?3 in the final. He tallied eight points to finish ninth in tournament scoring.
Personal life
[
edit
]
Briere attended
College Saint-Alexandre
, a private high school in
Gatineau
. He has four sons: Caelan (born July 1998);
[38]
Carson (born September 1999);
[39]
Cameron (born April 2001);
[40]
[41]
and Caiden (born March 2022). He currently resides in Philadelphia.
Briere had fellow Flyer
Claude Giroux
as a housemate in 2011;
[42]
when Giroux moved out after the
2010?11 season
, Flyers rookie and fellow French?Canadian
Sean Couturier
moved in.
[43]
Briere's son Carson was removed from the
Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey
team in 2019 during his freshman year for violating team code of conduct. Leaked documentation later revealed that the code of conduct violation was assault. On March 11, 2023, while a junior at
Mercyhurst University
, Carson was recorded on security camera footage at a club damaging another patron's unoccupied wheelchair by pushing it down a flight of stairs.
[44]
Multiple criminal charges were later announced.
[45]
[46]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Regular season and playoffs
[
edit
]
International
[
edit
]
Year
|
Team
|
Event
|
|
GP
|
G
|
A
|
Pts
|
PIM
|
1994
|
Canada
|
U18
|
5
|
2
|
3
|
5
|
4
|
1997
|
Canada
|
WJC
|
7
|
2
|
4
|
6
|
2
|
2003
|
Canada
|
WC
|
9
|
4
|
5
|
9
|
6
|
2004
|
Canada
|
WC
|
9
|
2
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
Junior totals
|
12
|
4
|
7
|
11
|
6
|
Senior totals
|
18
|
6
|
11
|
17
|
12
|
Awards and achievements
[
edit
]
Minor
[
edit
]
QMJHL
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Hugo Girard"
.
www.hugogirard.com
. Archived from
the original
on August 28, 2005.
- ^
"Sabres' Daniel Briere out 6-8 weeks"
.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. January 6, 2006
. Retrieved
November 12,
2008
.
- ^
"NHL suspends Briere for 2 games"
. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. March 30, 2006
. Retrieved
November 12,
2008
.
- ^
"Daniel Briere en rafale"
. December 14, 2011.
- ^
"Notes: Big raise for Sabres' Briere; Habs re-sign forward Ryder"
.
USA Today
. July 23, 2006
. Retrieved
February 9,
2009
.
- ^
"Briere's Hat Trick Lifts Sabres to Win"
.
The Washington Post
. December 6, 2006
. Retrieved
February 9,
2009
.
- ^
"Briere's Hat Trick Leads Sabres"
.
The Washington Post
. January 30, 2007
. Retrieved
February 9,
2009
.
- ^
El-Bashir, Tarik (January 9, 2007).
"Ovechkin picked to start in All-Star Game"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
October 26,
2008
.
- ^
"Briere shines but West wins All-Star Game"
. The Sports Network. January 25, 2007. Archived from
the original
on September 29, 2007
. Retrieved
January 25,
2007
.
- ^
a
b
c
Cazeneuve, Brian (May 6, 2008).
"Teflon Danny"
.
CNN Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
July 1,
2008
.
- ^
"Flyers bury Hurricanes on Briere hat trick"
.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. November 22, 2007
. Retrieved
February 9,
2009
.
- ^
"Flyers dealt blow by Briere's abdominal injury"
. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. October 24, 2008
. Retrieved
November 12,
2008
.
- ^
"Briere strikes early in return to Flyers lineup"
.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. November 8, 2008
. Retrieved
December 5,
2008
.
- ^
Anderson, Shelly (November 13, 2008).
"Penguins notebook: Scuderi respects Lidstrom's shot"
.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
. Retrieved
December 5,
2008
.
- ^
"Flyer C Briere out a month with groin injury"
.
Sporting News
. December 3, 2008
. Retrieved
December 5,
2008
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"Flyers' Briere to rehab in minors"
. Sports Network. January 13, 2009. Archived from
the original
on May 25, 2011
. Retrieved
January 14,
2009
.
- ^
"Flyers' Briere suspended for 2 games for hit on Avs' Hannan"
.
The Sports Network
. November 24, 2009. Archived from
the original
on November 26, 2009
. Retrieved
November 24,
2009
.
- ^
"Flyers' Briere day-to-day after tweaked groin"
. TSN. October 31, 2009
. Retrieved
December 5,
2009
.
- ^
"Flyers 6, Canadiens 2"
.
National Hockey League
. Associated Press. February 14, 2010
. Retrieved
February 14,
2010
.
- ^
"Stanley Cup Final Game 6 pre-game notes"
. National Hockey League. June 9, 2010
. Retrieved
June 10,
2010
.
- ^
a
b
Mike G. Morreale (November 1, 2010).
"Flyers hoping to patch void left by Briere suspension"
. National Hockey League
. Retrieved
November 1,
2010
.
- ^
Tim Panaccio (November 1, 2010).
"Flyers Notes: Briere 'Shocked' by Three-Game Ban"
. CSNPhilly.com. Archived from
the original
on January 20, 2013
. Retrieved
November 1,
2010
.
- ^
"Ottawa Senators - Philadelphia Flyers - January 7th, 2012"
.
- ^
"Flyers' Giroux, Briere sign together in Germany"
. October 4, 2012.
- ^
"Flyers' Danny Briere Suffers Injury In Germany"
.
Rant Sports
. December 29, 2012. Archived from
the original
on December 21, 2013.
- ^
"Flyers announce compliance buyout of Briere's contract"
.
TSN
.
- ^
"Canadiens sign Daniel Briere to a two-year deal"
. July 6, 2013
. Retrieved
July 4,
2013
.
- ^
Klein, Jeff Z. (October 26, 2013).
"For the Canadiens, Whatever's in a Name Is on the Back"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
May 9,
2018
.
- ^
"Daniel Briere back in Canadiens lineup tuesday"
. CBC News.
- ^
"Philadelphia gives Briere a standing ovation Video - NHL VideoCenter"
.
video.nhl.com
. Archived from
the original
on January 21, 2015.
- ^
"Canadiens send Briere to Avalanche for Parenteau and draft pick"
.
The Sports Network
. June 30, 2014
. Retrieved
June 30,
2014
.
- ^
"
"J'ai joue mon dernier match" ? Daniel Briere"
.
LeDroit
. August 17, 2015
. Retrieved
August 17,
2015
.
- ^
"Comcast Spectacor buys another hockey team; ex-Flyer Danny Briere to run show"
.
Philadelphia Daily News
. June 15, 2017.
- ^
"Philadelphia Flyers name Danny Briere assistant to the general manager"
.
ESPN
. Associated Press. February 8, 2022
. Retrieved
February 26,
2022
.
- ^
"Flyers release President and General Manager Chuck Fletcher"
.
NHL.com
. March 10, 2023
. Retrieved
March 10,
2023
.
- ^
"Flyers name Keith Jones President of Hockey Ops; Daniel Briere named GM"
.
NHL.com
. NHL Enterprises, L. P. May 11, 2023
. Retrieved
May 11,
2023
.
- ^
"1994 National Men's Under-18 Team"
.
Hockey Canada
. Retrieved
December 5,
2008
.
- ^
"Atlantic Youth Hockey League ? Player Information ? Caelan Briere"
. Atlantichockey.org. Archived from
the original
on March 4, 2012
. Retrieved
April 30,
2012
.
- ^
"Atlantic Youth Hockey League ? Player Information ? Carson Briere"
. Atlantichockey.org. Archived from
the original
on March 4, 2012
. Retrieved
April 30,
2012
.
- ^
"Atlantic Youth Hockey League ? Player Information ? Cameron Briere"
. Atlantichockey.org. Archived from
the original
on March 4, 2012
. Retrieved
April 30,
2012
.
- ^
Schmitt, Tim (December 13, 2006).
"SABRES: She shoots, she scores! ≫ Local News"
.
Niagara Gazette
. Retrieved
April 30,
2012
.
- ^
Carchidi, Sam (January 30, 2011).
"Inside the Flyers: For Flyers' Giroux and Briere, All-Star Game is a family affair"
.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
. Archived from
the original
on February 27, 2021
. Retrieved
January 19,
2024
.
- ^
Carchidi, Sam (October 16, 2011).
"Inside the Flyers: Flyers' Briere opens his home to rookie Couturier"
.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
. Archived from
the original
on February 26, 2021
. Retrieved
January 19,
2024
.
- ^
"Security cam allegedly shows son of Flyers GM throwing wheelchair down flight of stairs"
.
Audacy
. March 14, 2023
. Retrieved
March 14,
2023
.
- ^
"Carson Briere charged for pushing woman's wheelchair down steps"
.
www.cbsnews.com
. March 21, 2023
. Retrieved
March 21,
2023
.
- ^
"Carson Briere charged for pushing wheelchair down stairs"
.
AP News
. March 20, 2023
. Retrieved
March 21,
2023
.
External links
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edit
]
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